Mark Shaw-(1921-1969)- best known for his photographing Jackie Kennedy and the First Family in LIFE. He also shot the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Pablo Picasso, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent, as well.
These photos below are captured by Mark Shaw for LIFE magazine in 1953 and are picures of Audrey Hepburn on the set of "Sabrina" (which came out in 1954). The one right below was not actually published in LIFE, but was found almost 50yrs later and published in a book called: Charmed by Audrey: Life on the Set of Sabrina in 2009.
1.) I chose this one for the composed yet relaxed vibe I get from one of my favorite style icons. I also love literature and the way she's posed on the couch makes it appear extra enjoyable. The striped couch matching the striped curtain above her also caught my attention. 2/13/12
1.) -Rhetor: Mark Shaw clearly has some credibility as a photographer if Audrey appears to feel quite comfortable with him taking pictures of her (ethos). Mark Shaw is well known for his photographing JFK's family and fashion pictures in LIFE magazine so his reputation would be understood at the time period (and even now we recognize it). The photo seems to give the message of relaxed but chic sophistication. These photos were taken on the set of Sabrina in the early 1950's, which is the context of the photograph. The photo can also be placed amongst all Mark Shaw's photo's which feature celebrities, JFK's family, and fashion. Mark Shaw seems to want to convey a relaxed feel; that someone who would become a famous movie and style icon is still a human, and a woman at that.
2/16/12
- Audience:The audience in the 1953 would have known about her from her part in Roman Holidsay which came out this year, but not as we know her today. Her slender figure, large eyes, and style were only beginning to be noticed. Sabrina, the movie she was in while Shaw photographed her, would come out in 1954. But no one saw this picture until 2009. To people in 2009 who would have known more about the life and accomplishments of such a charming girl would have found it refreshing and intrigueing to see this fashion icon, living such a typical life while not shooting her film. What the audience of today sees is pleasant relaxation, with her on a couch in a man's shirt, reading a book.The way she looks (relaxed and beautiful) is a strong form of pathos, and makes one want to identify with her, if one doesn't already.
-Text:The black and white coloration of the photo shows that it's an older photo (has a vintage, timeless feel to it). Audrey is posed on a large striped pillow on a long striped couc with a large book. She's laying down on her side with her right arm bent behind her head and her hand supporting the book. She apparently did lots of reading on the set, so the fact that she has a book is not forced. But this whole pose the more I look at it looks not as natural as I first thought. The striped curtain above her head ties is another item in the room that matches. This striped pattern everywhere contrasts with her plain white man's shirt, which is the symbol of comfort and ease.This is an example of metaphor.
2.) A frequently reproduced photo of Audrey Hepburn,published in LIFE in December, 1953. Audrey is shownstrolling in front of her Beverly Hills apartment duringthe shooting of the film Sabrina.
I chose this picture because, it spoke to me. 2/16/12 Rhetor: Mark Shaw once again is shooting "everyday" type pictures of Audrey on the set of Sabrina is part of the context of the photo, as well as it being shot in the early 1950's. His credibility as a photgrapher is well established both in 1953 when the photograph was taken and now. The fact that once again she's looking into the camera shows ethos.
Audience:LIFE Magazine usually had a target audience of middle class white Americans in the 1950's. We in 2012 can find this picture by searching "Audrey Hepburn" in the good image search, so anyone interested in her or fashion would come across it (and that transcends race, income and age). Like the first one, I feel like she's beckoning to the viewer to watch and/or follow her; but at the same time, by what she's wearing (the pants and white blouse) she seems pretty independent and self-sufficient. It's an interesting contrast. She's both happy and sad, which for many, inspires identification. Text: Audrey is seen outside, walking along a white picket fence on the left, a white house on the right, a tree in front of her to the left, and she's walking on a brick pathway alongside the house. At the end of the path is a wooden gate with another house behind it. This could represent that she's got a straight shot ahead of her, a future that is paved out before her, but with her upper body and head facing back, she's still looking to the past. The picket fence and paved path are metaphorsfor idyllic life in Hollywood which we also want to identify with. These images relate to pathos (appeal to our emotions).
2/24/12
3.) This is the third photo I would like to look at for my analysis paper. I chose this because Audrey is looking extra quirky, and fun, even without much makeup or her hair done. Her beautiful character shines through.
This was another example of a picture taken for LIFE magazine in 1953, but was never published until 2009 with the publication of Charmed.. 2/24/12 Photo 1: Standards-There is no use of linguistic messages as there is no text in relation to the picture, just her form on a couch. The Literal denoted message is her on the striped couch lounging and holding a book, and this is the signifier. The connoted message that accompanies the denoted image, that I see as a person in 2012 is repose, relaxed beauty, the enjoyment of leisure and comfort of a Hollywood starlet (signified). The coded-iconic message in 1953 would be perhaps something similar, but they didn't know the lengths to which her career as an actress and style icon would go like we do. In the 1950's, however, they saw women's roles as especially domestic. Women stayed at home, cooked and cleaned and took care of kids. The portrayal of her being in such a domestic setting (living room perhaps) is a sign of this domesticity that was the ideal of woman. But today we see it as an independent woman enjoying herself. Photo 2: Standards- What's denoted is Audrey strolling along a picket fence towards a gate with a tree on her left and a house on the right. The connoted message relates once again domesticity and idyllic lifestyle which would be picked up in the context of the early 1950's. That despite the fact that she's a "working woman" her down time includes appropriately feminine past-times (coded-iconic message) In 2012, the audience sees something similar but not so much the domestic woman feel. Photo 3: Standards- This image has explicitly denoted Audrey as being in the process of having her hair washed or dryed off most likely. Her expression is one of half surprise and joy going by her mouth and eyes; her eyebrows are also raised in surprise or delight at something to her right. The coded-iconic message that would be conveyed to the 1953 audience is that Audrey keeps us with her female domestic pursuits (getting her hair done-which was a typical thing for women in the 1950's to do) especially being an actress in Hollywood. But perhaps she doesn't take things too seriously and has fun with it. What the audience of 2012 sees is a quirky, fun-spirited individual who has style no matter what she's doing (connoted). Trends- What's interesting to note is that despite the push for feminine fashion and looks in the early 1950's to promote the house-wife look and appeal, Audrey in all three photos is dressed fairly androgenous, if not particularly masculine. The first image portrays her in a man's long sleeve shirt, the second one capri pants and a white blouse, and the third one, all in black with her hair all spiked out like a man's. Despite this, however, her face in all three highlights her beauty. Her physical form too in 1 and 2 are more provocative, with the first one having an emphasis on her exposed legs and the second on her backside. The third is th emost innocent with her curled up and covered up. In all three there is a look of simultaneous ease and slight surpise that someone is focusing on her. Mark Shaw was trying to portray through all of his pictures on the set of Sabrina the real girl off set, just doing her thing, and all three portray that. All three could have been completely spontaneous and natural, but the first two appear as though she knew she had to look at the camera (and in the first one pose with her book). 1 and 2 she is self aware but relaxed, wheras 3 she is not so self conscious. In 1 and 2 she is looking right at camera but body is the focus, and in 3 she is not looking at camera but her face is the focus. She is shown in all three to be doing "typical womanly pursuits": reading, walking and getting her hair done, in typical settings (home, outdoors, hair-dresser) but she adds her own demure, quintessentially Audrey- feel to each one, which is what Mark wanted to public to begin to learn more about. In all three though, I sense a kind of sadness. Even though she is slightly smiling in all 3, she is looking back/side either to the left or right also, which signifies that the camera and other people are maybe encroaching on her own little happy world. Central Argument- From the above insights into the pictures I've come to conclude that Mark Shaw is trying to portray Audrey Hepburn, who was just beginning to be recognized for her role in Roman Holiday in 1953, as an "everday girl", just like the average twenty-something in the 1950's. More than this though, I see a woman who is seeking her place in the world and she's just being who she is, and people happen to be facinated by it. She simultaneously wants to share this fashionable, beautiful self with the public, and keep a part of it hidden from the public eye.
PHOTOGRAPHY AUDIENCE PROFILE SHEET
Viewer’s Name: Viewer’s Job Title:
Kind of Viewer:
Primary
Secondary
Education:
probably college or at least high school degree
Any age group interested in Audrey Hepburn.
Professional Experience:
housewives, mothers, professional women
Anything, photography
Job Responsibilities:
housewives, mothers, professional women
Anything
Personal Characteristics:
White, middle class women usually.
Probably white, middle and upper class people, but really anyone.
Personal Preferences:
Into fan magazines, would be into soap operas
fashion, old hollywood movie stars, etc
Cultural Characteristics:
early 1950's: conservatism, anticommunism, mass culture (television becoming big), hollywood icons known in mass consciousness, new fashion trends coming in from around the world, post WWII, baby boomer generation, idyllic stereotypes.
fashion/looks culture as well as being different and original.
Attitude Toward the Photographer:
The audience would have known about Mark Shaw from his photographing JFK's family, particularly Jackie Kennedy and various fashion photos.
Most people in photography would know Mark Shaw and know his credibility
Attitude Toward the Subject:
They would be interested in a celebrity like Audrey Hepburn being in a semi-domestic sphere behind set of 'Sabrina'
Interested to see Audrey Hepburn in a new, more relaxed, everyday setting
Expectations about the Subject:
curious, interested
eager, interested
Expectations about the Photograph:
that it/they would conform to cultural codes and norms
that it/they would better inform us about Audrey Hepburn's life off-set, and her nature.
Reasons for Viewing the Photograph:
in LIFE magazine
interested in fashion, photography, audrey hepburn, old hollywood movie stars
Mark Shaw-(1921-1969)- best known for his photographing Jackie Kennedy and the First Family in LIFE. He also shot the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Pablo Picasso, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent, as well.
These photos below are captured by Mark Shaw for LIFE magazine in 1953 and are picures of Audrey Hepburn on the set of "Sabrina" (which came out in 1954). The one right below was not actually published in LIFE, but was found almost 50yrs later and published in a book called: Charmed by Audrey: Life on the Set of Sabrina in 2009.
1.) I chose this one for the composed yet relaxed vibe I get from one of my favorite style icons. I also love literature and the way she's posed on the couch makes it appear extra enjoyable. The striped couch matching the striped curtain above her also caught my attention.
2/13/12
1.) -Rhetor: Mark Shaw clearly has some credibility as a photographer if Audrey appears to feel quite comfortable with him taking pictures of her (ethos). Mark Shaw is well known for his photographing JFK's family and fashion pictures in LIFE magazine so his reputation would be understood at the time period (and even now we recognize it). The photo seems to give the message of relaxed but chic sophistication. These photos were taken on the set of Sabrina in the early 1950's, which is the context of the photograph. The photo can also be placed amongst all Mark Shaw's photo's which feature celebrities, JFK's family, and fashion. Mark Shaw seems to want to convey a relaxed feel; that someone who would become a famous movie and style icon is still a human, and a woman at that.
2/16/12
- Audience:The audience in the 1953 would have known about her from her part in Roman Holidsay which came out this year, but not as we know her today. Her slender figure, large eyes, and style were only beginning to be noticed. Sabrina, the movie she was in while Shaw photographed her, would come out in 1954. But no one saw this picture until 2009. To people in 2009 who would have known more about the life and accomplishments of such a charming girl would have found it refreshing and intrigueing to see this fashion icon, living such a typical life while not shooting her film. What the audience of today sees is pleasant relaxation, with her on a couch in a man's shirt, reading a book.The way she looks (relaxed and beautiful) is a strong form of pathos, and makes one want to identify with her, if one doesn't already.
-Text:The black and white coloration of the photo shows that it's an older photo (has a vintage, timeless feel to it). Audrey is posed on a large striped pillow on a long striped couc with a large book. She's laying down on her side with her right arm bent behind her head and her hand supporting the book. She apparently did lots of reading on the set, so the fact that she has a book is not forced. But this whole pose the more I look at it looks not as natural as I first thought. The striped curtain above her head ties is another item in the room that matches. This striped pattern everywhere contrasts with her plain white man's shirt, which is the symbol of comfort and ease.This is an example of metaphor.
2.) A frequently reproduced photo of Audrey Hepburn,published in LIFE in December, 1953. Audrey is shownstrolling in front of her Beverly Hills apartment duringthe shooting of the film Sabrina.
I chose this picture because, it spoke to me.
2/16/12
Rhetor: Mark Shaw once again is shooting "everyday" type pictures of Audrey on the set of Sabrina is part of the context of the photo, as well as it being shot in the early 1950's. His credibility as a photgrapher is well established both in 1953 when the photograph was taken and now. The fact that once again she's looking into the camera shows ethos.
Audience:LIFE Magazine usually had a target audience of middle class white Americans in the 1950's. We in 2012 can find this picture by searching "Audrey Hepburn" in the good image search, so anyone interested in her or fashion would come across it (and that transcends race, income and age). Like the first one, I feel like she's beckoning to the viewer to watch and/or follow her; but at the same time, by what she's wearing (the pants and white blouse) she seems pretty independent and self-sufficient. It's an interesting contrast. She's both happy and sad, which for many, inspires identification.
Text: Audrey is seen outside, walking along a white picket fence on the left, a white house on the right, a tree in front of her to the left, and she's walking on a brick pathway alongside the house. At the end of the path is a wooden gate with another house behind it. This could represent that she's got a straight shot ahead of her, a future that is paved out before her, but with her upper body and head facing back, she's still looking to the past. The picket fence and paved path are metaphorsfor idyllic life in Hollywood which we also want to identify with. These images relate to pathos (appeal to our emotions).
2/24/12
3.) This is the third photo I would like to look at for my analysis paper. I chose this because Audrey is looking extra quirky, and fun, even without much makeup or her hair done. Her beautiful character shines through.
This was another example of a picture taken for LIFE magazine in 1953, but was never published until 2009 with the publication of Charmed..
2/24/12
Photo 1:
Standards-There is no use of linguistic messages as there is no text in relation to the picture, just her form on a couch. The Literal denoted message is her on the striped couch lounging and holding a book, and this is the signifier. The connoted message that accompanies the denoted image, that I see as a person in 2012 is repose, relaxed beauty, the enjoyment of leisure and comfort of a Hollywood starlet (signified). The coded-iconic message in 1953 would be perhaps something similar, but they didn't know the lengths to which her career as an actress and style icon would go like we do. In the 1950's, however, they saw women's roles as especially domestic. Women stayed at home, cooked and cleaned and took care of kids. The portrayal of her being in such a domestic setting (living room perhaps) is a sign of this domesticity that was the ideal of woman. But today we see it as an independent woman enjoying herself.
Photo 2:
Standards- What's denoted is Audrey strolling along a picket fence towards a gate with a tree on her left and a house on the right. The connoted message relates once again domesticity and idyllic lifestyle which would be picked up in the context of the early 1950's. That despite the fact that she's a "working woman" her down time includes appropriately feminine past-times (coded-iconic message) In 2012, the audience sees something similar but not so much the domestic woman feel.
Photo 3:
Standards- This image has explicitly denoted Audrey as being in the process of having her hair washed or dryed off most likely. Her expression is one of half surprise and joy going by her mouth and eyes; her eyebrows are also raised in surprise or delight at something to her right. The coded-iconic message that would be conveyed to the 1953 audience is that Audrey keeps us with her female domestic pursuits (getting her hair done-which was a typical thing for women in the 1950's to do) especially being an actress in Hollywood. But perhaps she doesn't take things too seriously and has fun with it. What the audience of 2012 sees is a quirky, fun-spirited individual who has style no matter what she's doing (connoted).
Trends- What's interesting to note is that despite the push for feminine fashion and looks in the early 1950's to promote the house-wife look and appeal, Audrey in all three photos is dressed fairly androgenous, if not particularly masculine. The first image portrays her in a man's long sleeve shirt, the second one capri pants and a white blouse, and the third one, all in black with her hair all spiked out like a man's. Despite this, however, her face in all three highlights her beauty. Her physical form too in 1 and 2 are more provocative, with the first one having an emphasis on her exposed legs and the second on her backside. The third is th emost innocent with her curled up and covered up. In all three there is a look of simultaneous ease and slight surpise that someone is focusing on her. Mark Shaw was trying to portray through all of his pictures on the set of Sabrina the real girl off set, just doing her thing, and all three portray that. All three could have been completely spontaneous and natural, but the first two appear as though she knew she had to look at the camera (and in the first one pose with her book). 1 and 2 she is self aware but relaxed, wheras 3 she is not so self conscious. In 1 and 2 she is looking right at camera but body is the focus, and in 3 she is not looking at camera but her face is the focus. She is shown in all three to be doing "typical womanly pursuits": reading, walking and getting her hair done, in typical settings (home, outdoors, hair-dresser) but she adds her own demure, quintessentially Audrey- feel to each one, which is what Mark wanted to public to begin to learn more about. In all three though, I sense a kind of sadness. Even though she is slightly smiling in all 3, she is looking back/side either to the left or right also, which signifies that the camera and other people are maybe encroaching on her own little happy world.
Central Argument- From the above insights into the pictures I've come to conclude that Mark Shaw is trying to portray Audrey Hepburn, who was just beginning to be recognized for her role in Roman Holiday in 1953, as an "everday girl", just like the average twenty-something in the 1950's. More than this though, I see a woman who is seeking her place in the world and she's just being who she is, and people happen to be facinated by it. She simultaneously wants to share this fashionable, beautiful self with the public, and keep a part of it hidden from the public eye.
PHOTOGRAPHY AUDIENCE PROFILE SHEET
Viewer’s Name:
Viewer’s Job Title: